The Last Year
by MEcheerleader
Summary: With Harry gone, Ron and Hermione try to move on. But, will their friendship go beyond, or will they fall apart with all that is happening arund them?
1. Chapter One: Hermione

Hermione stepped out into the sunny courtyard. It was her first week back at school and, being her last year, the work load was incredable. It was very nice to finally have a day off and to relax. This being there first weekend off, she had decided to just hang around the school and maybe visit HOgsmeade a little later. For right now, she just wanted to sit out in the courtyard and read a good book.   
  
"Hermione!" Someone called her name right as she was sitting down. Ron was running towards her, waving a piece of paper above his head.   
  
"Yeah, Ron? I just kinda wanna relax today." She said inpatiently.   
  
"I know, i know. But, this just came by owl and you HAVE to read it. It's the best news EVER." Everythin recently had been the best news ever to Ron. His 96% on his History of Magic test had been the "best news ever."  
  
"So you got another high score after realizing that studying really does work?"  
  
"No.Better. I just got a letter from Dad. He said...he said..Oh, Hermione, they got him! They got You-know-Who!" He stood their smiling at her. She started to cry. "What's the matter?"   
  
Ron sat down next to her and put his arm around her.   
  
"Oh, it's jus that every time you mention You-KNow-Who, I think of..." Hermione started.   
  
"I know. I think about it all the time too. But, we still have each other, Hermione. We will live on. I know that's what Harry would've wanted us to do."  
  
Harry had been murdered the previous year. It had been teh most devasting thing that had ever happened to Ron and Hermione. They had both lost a best friend and had grieved for months.   
  
"Now,though,Hermione, they can finally sentence him to death. Hes gone forever now."  
  
"i don't know, Ron. He still has his death eaters around." Hermione hung her head. She had finished crying, but she was still sad. Voldemort had brought pain and destruction all over thier world. A number of students had been killed or totured. Everyone, every where you had turned, had been crying or staring at the ground. Diagon Alley had been emptied, becuse it had been seen as a threat that Voldemort might attack it. Everything had gone down the drain with VOldemorts return, and no one was soon to forget.   
  
"Cheer up, Hermione. He's gonna be gone forever soon. I doubt Harry would want you to be sad on this happy day. More good news, they canceled classes this week in clebration!"  
  
Hermione looked up Ron, a huge smile on his face and his eyes lit up. She felt bad for crying.  
  
"Thats good. I needed a week off."  
  
"Tell me about it. I have never been loaded down like this before. Its uncanny!"  
  
"Ah,Ron used a new word!"  
  
"Shut it." He grinned.   
  
"Well, do you want to go see Hagid or something? I am terribly bored." Hermione said, getting up and setting her book down.   
  
"Yeah. Sounds great. We haven' seen him in a while becuase of all the homework."  
  
They set off across the grounds towards Hagrids house, which was righ on the border of the forbidden forest.   
  
As they walked, Hermione let out a big sigh. Lately she had been confused about Ron and her. They were really close, and in some situations had gotten really close, but she didn't know what was going on. With Harry there, it had always been something they had never thought on. Now that Harry was gone though, they felt a closenes like they had never felt before, and Hermione felt something for Ron. She loved like a brother, that was for sure, but she didn't know if she even should like him as more. She ran her fingers through her hair (newly staightened hair) and looked at Ron.   
  
He had grown about three more inches over teh summer, which made his about 6'1. His muscular body was beautiful and toned from all the Quidditch work and his few freckles were across his face as if sprinkled there. His eyes shone with excitment and his muth was in a big grin. His dimples were still there and cuter than ever. He walked happily along, without a care in the world.   
  
Hermione though,"He would never think of me as more anyway..."  
  
They reached Hagrids house and knocked on his door.  
  
"Good day to you all!" He said as he swung the door open.   
  
"I see that you've heard the word!" Ron said as he stepped inside the house with Hermione behind him.   
  
"Sure have! I was there when they got 'em. Oh, I was so funny,but serious at the same time. Those men and women put a lot of their magic into capturing him. Exhausted em all. Had to send em to the hospital to get em back up in shape."  
  
"I know. Dad told me. Wrote me almost everything in a letter."  
  
"Well, yeah. Owls are flying every which today I've noticed. People trying to get the word out I suposed. I don't think some believe it though. I mean, i don't blame em. The last tim we all thought he was gone, and then look what ahappened. He came back worse than before We all went through something. I mean,we lost someone too..." His voice trailed off and his sniffed. He looked at Hermione who had sat herself down into one of Hagrid giant armchairs.   
  
"Ah,Hermione, don't cry." She hadn't been crying then,but he could tell that she had been.   
  
"I'm not now Hagrid. It's ok. I'm happy really. Just, sad at the same time."  
  
"I know Hermione, we all are. We all are." 


	2. Chapter Two: Ron

Ron and Hermione walked back to Hogwarts castle after having tea and a new sort of biscuit Hagrid had made himself(they were actually quite soft and easy to chew).They had talked about almost everything that had gone on, and Hagrid had given them all the details of Voldemort's arrest.  
  
Voldemort had been in one of his secret hideouts, far away from anywhere. It was in a deep, dark, little cave. He had been alone except for his pet snake and two death eaters, who lived in a little hut just a few feet away from the mouth of cave. The Order of the Pheonix had recieved an owl very early in the morning reporting that a sighting had been made and that some of them should come quickly. Mr. and Mrs. Wealsey, Tonks, Lupin, Dumbledore, mad-Eye Moody, and about five others went, including Snape. They had been held up a bit at the beginning ("bad weather, ya know?"), but soon got there. They found the two gaurds there and imediately pounced on them. They stunned them and left them lying in the ground while they went to search for Voldemort. They soon found him, huddled in his cave. They stunned him, but not without a vicious fight. Snape had been given two broken bones, Mr. Weasley had suffered a nose bleed that seemed to never end, and Moody had been stunned.   
  
Thats all Hagrid would tell them, but they knew there was more to it.  
  
"So, what do you want to go do now?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know. Lets go see what everyone else is doing." Ron said as he opened the doors to Hogwarts.   
  
"Alright."  
  
They walked down the hallways passing students who were celebrating. When they entered the Gryffindor common room, noise erupted all around them.  
  
"Hermione! ROn! Come join the party!" Seamus was sitting in a corner of the room with Lavender, Neville, and some others. They were all drinking buttrbeer and laughing.   
  
Ron and Hermione went to sit with them.   
  
"Have something to drink."  
  
"Thanks." Hermione accepted her butterbeer and smiled at Seamus.   
  
Ron only wished that she would smile at him like that. He hadn't told anyone, except for Harry, that he liked Hermione. He had liked her every since their third year. When she had been petrified he had realized how much he missed her and wanted her there. Her newly straightened hair was beautiful and her eyes were gorgeous. She didn't need to wear any makeup in Ron's eyes, but she did and he thought it made her even more pretty. She wore a little eyeliner and then a light shimmery purple eyeshadow. It brought out her brown eyes. Not that Ron knew thats why her eyes popped, he just knew she looked beautiful.   
  
"Aren't you guys thrilled?!?" Lavender sqealed as she sipped her butterbeer.   
  
"Thrilled? Im more than thrilled! Classes are cancelled! That means no more snape for a week!" Even though Neville was not the little weak kid he used to be, he was still scared of Snape. Neville was now very handsome,with a cute little kid look.   
  
Ron looked at Seamus. He wasn't that bad looking either. He wondered who Hermione liked. If she liked anyone for that matter. He didn't think he could handle her going out with anyone but him. His heart would break.   
  
"Ron? Are you listening?" Nevill looked at him.   
  
"Oh, um, sry. What?"  
  
"We just ask you if you wanted to go play Quidditch with us?" Seamus said.   
  
"oh, yeah, sure." They all got out of their chairs and went to go get broomsicks. A moment later they were al back in the common room.   
  
As they were walking out, Seamus put his arm around Hermiones shoulder and whisperred something to her. She giggled as he walked on and went over to talk to Neville.  
  
"What did he just say to you?" Ron asked,more abruptly then he meant to.   
  
"It was nothing. He just wants me to meet him in the library later so I can help him on his Potions essay." Hermioe answered, looking puzzled at why ROn had said that so harshly.   
  
"oh. Right." ROn looked down embarassed and walked away to catch up with Neville and Seamus.   
  
"What's up with him?" Lavender asked, coming up to Hermiones side.   
  
Hermione sighed, "I don't know." 


End file.
